


The Ultimate Sacrifice

by KoshiClarkson



Category: Original Work
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Complete, F/M, Light Angst, Long-Distance Relationship, Military, Pandemics, Paranoia, Travel, sweethearts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:26:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 1,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23244751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KoshiClarkson/pseuds/KoshiClarkson
Summary: The video logs of two sweethearts separated by land and disease.
Kudos: 1





	1. Log 1

She turned on her laptop a saw a notification. A video.  
“Hi Darling. I hope that Elaine’s chemo went well. Please remember to get some sleep tonight. She’s a tough bird and is becoming quite the pro. Ha, sorry. How are you doing with this? I wish I could be there. Training hasn’t been canceled yet but the base is swarming with rumors. We just continue with business as usual. Haha. Can’t avoid our mastery tests next week I guess. Anyways, just wanted to check in on you. I know how you get during Elaine’s sessions. Please take care of yourself too. I wish I was there... I love you… Sweet dreams.”


	2. Log 2

He sat at his desk quickly finishing his last quiz before class. He heard his notification ping and his eyes lit up. “Hey Babe. I didn’t want to bother you while you’re hopefully sleeping but probably studying or cramming another quiz but I wanted to respond to your message. Elaine had a bad reaction to this round of chemo and we stayed late. She was able to come home this weekend though. I called Lacey but got some story about how hard it was to cancel her trip. So I guess it’s business as usual for me too. The doctors won’t let us schedule her next session yet. They said that they want to see how this one helped but I don’t really believe them. The hospital was busier than usual. It’s kind of sad that I’ve spent so much time there that I can tell that. Oh well, can’t think about that. How are your classes? Please tell me that you are remembering to study in between working on your pull up rivalry. Haha, I’ll try to catch you later.”


	3. Log 3

“Hi Darling. I tried to reach you but you must be helping Elaine. Just to set the record straight, a rivalry implies a challenge. Demetrius doesn’t stand a chance; just look at these guns. Haha. Classes are going fine and I’m studying for my mastery next week. They found the first confirmed case of Worms in the state but it was hundreds of miles from here, up north. My CO has ordered that we keep to the rule of not traveling on the weekends. Leave hasn’t been canceled so I should be fine to see you next weekend after my mastery. I also checked my flight just to be sure and we’re still on. We might want to rethink the hiking just to be safe. I read about the case in your county. I hope you are keeping safe. I love you. I try reaching you again later.”


	4. Log 4

“Hey Babe. I guess we’re going to keep playing phone tag. Elaine insisted that I was treating her like a feeble old woman and wanted to cook her own dinner. That stubbornness seems to be the only trait she passed onto Lacey who I finally got a hold of tonight. They found three cases of Worms in her resort at two of the three hotels and they don’t know if it was from the food, poles, mosquitoes, or what. So she is being quarantined there but she keeps trying to leave saying that ‘a Middleton never gets a commoner’s illness.’ It sounds like she’s just making life there difficult for everyone. I guess it’s not all that better here. They did confirm their first case in the county but I’m not really worried. I never leave the estate, our food gets delivered, I already have to keep a sanitary place because of Elaine’s immune system. So don’t worry so much. I love you Babe; keep doing well in your classes!”


	5. Log 5

“Hi Darling. Sorry that I didn’t pick up today. We had a battalion wide formation first thing. They are cancelling all leave and strictly forbidding us to be more than an hour away from base at any time. Classes haven’t been canceled yet but there’s talk that we could get confined on base. They still don’t know how Worms is transmitted and I guess that this is just a precaution, but I won’t be able to come see you now. I wish you were here. I know you can’t leave Elaine and it’s dangerous to travel with her in her current condition, but… maybe start thinking about it. I know I sound a bit paranoid but, just think about it. I love you and it hurts to have you so far away.”


	6. Log 6

“Hey Babe. Elaine isn’t doing too well. They doctors are starting to get paranoid. She’s been jaundiced for two months now and for the last year everyone’s been saying cancer. But since they started more and more testing, they’ve found more and more cases of Worms in the county. They won’t take her at the hospital because she has all of the signs of Worms. Of course she does, she has liver cancer, it has the same effect, liver failure. They want her to go a clinic set up for Worms cases but with her immunity the way it is she’s sure to catch it. Her liver has already been sliced up and radiated, what more could the Worms really do to it? So I have to keep her home. I made sure to stock up on some equipment before this round of chemo because of how quickly she reacted to the last round but there’s only so much I can do. I feel so helpless. I really wish she would have just stayed at the hospital for full time care. But… I guess when your late husband’s name is on the wing they’ll let you do what you want… except when they label you a likely Worms carrier. I’m sorry for carrying on Babe. I’ll try to reach you this evening. I don’t like to leave her alone long. She’s trying to nap now.”


	7. Log 7

“Hi Darling. I tried to call you. You weren’t carrying on, it’s a lot to juggle; I wish I could help. It’s getting hard to concentrate on school with everything going on there and here. We keep hearing about how ‘this is a small sacrifice to keep this contained’ ‘we all need to make a sacrifice.’ Like that makes a difference. We both knew when I joined that we’d have to make sacrifices. But…. I wish you were here. They are starting to move the families on base this weekend. We aren’t getting restricted to base but with a dozen cases now being identified in our county it seems like it’s only a matter of time. I really wish you were here. I know it’s selfish to ask, but please consider it. There must be other nurses that can look after Elaine. Please, Darling.”


	8. Log 8

“Darling. Where are you? School got out at noon today so that we could move our stuff into the barracks. The single officer barracks are crowded because of all us young guys in the different training programs. It’s starting to get serious. Please just give me a quick message to make sure you’re alright. I love you.”


	9. Log 9

“Babe. I’m sorry that I didn’t answer you yesterday. Elaine passed late yesterday morning. She was vomiting so much, I couldn’t replace the fluids fast enough. She died in my arms. I called Lacey and told her. She was shocked and seemed genuinely sad about her mother’s passing. I called the funeral home but because the hospital listed her as having Worms they freaked out that this was the first death from Worms in our county and now there’s a whole new procedure they have to follow. They were going to contact officials to remove her body properly and told me that I had to be quarantined until they could test me. I had to leave the house; I couldn’t just stay with her body. I went to the greenhouse so that I could see them if they drove up without calling. Elaine loved tending her orchids when she was feeling better between treatments. She was really doing better I thought. Her liver cancer was coming under control, it hadn’t metastasized… I really thought she was going to beat it… … Then called around 3 and were bringing over a special vehicle to transport her body. It’s a good thing that she had asked to be cremated. Just as they were pulling out, guess who pulled up. Lacey. She had broken quarantine and chartered her own flight home. She started barking orders trying to throw her weight around, the guys from the CDC weren’t listening, she started getting more ticked, she blamed me for not doing my job, saying that if I was a better nurse that Elaine would still be alive. The funeral director finally calmed her down. She tried to throw me out of the room I’ve lived in for the past three years without even time to pack. The CDC has quarantined us in different parts of the house until the tests come back tomorrow. I’ve been on the phone with the funeral director all morning trying to get everything finalized. We aren’t allowed to hold the kind of funeral party she had wanted with a giant, colorful, garden extravaganza with her friend on the nature sanctuary board at this time but we will get her ashes back Monday morning. So, I was trying to call a handful of her closest friends for a small ceremony in the greenhouse and apparently Lacey has already called all of the board members of the company and started making orders as the new chairman. The older members that grew up with Elaine and Tom have pulled through and agreed to come. The younger members are hesitant since Elaine was labeled as the first death due to Worms even though everyone knows it was the cancer that did it. I called her other friend and about ten in total have agreed to attend Monday. The media has already started risking coming to the house to capture the story. One good thing I’ll say for Lacey is that she’s very good at handling them. I am glad she’s here for that. I couldn’t face them. I really wish you were here. But I knew when you signed up that there would be sacrifices. It’s funny. So many people say the ultimate sacrifice is giving up your life, but sometimes it feels like the harder sacrifice is living without you, going on along. I know that’s selfish to say Babe, I’m sorry... I love you Babe, so much. If I get cleared, I’m driving out right after the funeral.”


End file.
